Healthy Cooking Made Easy

I found a pastry dough crust in my freezer this morning and I instantly thought Chicken Vegetable Pot Pie! Much like my Leek and Mushroom Chicken Pot Pie..but just lots of veggies and chicken of course. Make a wonderful meal that has been one of my husbands favorites for years..Plus the aroma that fills your kitchen is so comforting; to me its just heaven!

Pre heat oven to 350. In a large pan on the stove top and medium high, heat 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp unsalted butter..add onion and garlic. Heat 2-3 minutes then add chicken. Brown chicken on both sides and add vegetables and herbs . Cook about 5 minutes, add in chicken broth and simmer. Slowly add in fat free creamer and mix well. Add cornstarch, stir in so that the mixture is slightly thicker ( add more if you want it really thick!) Season with salt,pepper and red pepper flakes Pour ingredients into large and deep casserole dish. Roll out pastry dough on top of the pie, and brush with olive oil and sprinkle reduced fat Parmesan cheese on top! Bake 35-40 minutes…Until pastry dough is cooked and browned. Serve in big bowls and Enjoy!

The last of the turkey is going into the Crock Pot to make a delicious and healthy soup today! I shredded the leftover turkey meat and stuffed a leg and two wings into the pot. I added zucchini, yellow squash, celery, carrots, green beans and onions. A Can of diced tomatoes, 4 cups fat free low sodium chicken broth, 4 cups water, 1 tbsp Italian seasoning, 2 bay leafs, 1 tsp red pepper flakes,1 tsp nutmeg, salt and pepper. Later, I’ll remove the turkey bones and skin and add a cup of brown rice pasta right towards the end. Then this soup will sit over nite in fridge and be our lunch for the next couple of days at work! 🙂

So after the “Mock” Thanksgiving dinner, now I have decided what to cook tomorrow! Whew! So I did go with the whole turkey instead of the split turkey breasts because I’m going to utilize the rest of the cooked turkey to make a fabulous Turkey Vegetable Rice Soup this weekend…( stay tuned for that recipe) So here’s the list! ….and always subject to change due to inspiration and experimentation that always seems to occur in my kitchen!

Green Bean Almondine.. I Just love the way it sounds! So basic, but so yummy too! Just boil fresh clean and cut green beans and then saute in pan with olive oil and sliced almonds! Season with salt and pepper. add a little dash of nutmeg too 🙂

Sweet Potato Casserole with a Praline & Marshmallow Crust an experiment in the works combing two ideas I have in mind…will share with you tomorrow!

And so that leaves the bird….I’m thinking Brown Sugar and Honey Glazed Turkey…..with a little soy sauce to offset all the yummy sweetness 🙂

“To stuff or not to stuff the Turkey that is the question…what will you do?”

And for the finale…Cranberry Praline Crumble..I saw this recipe for a Nantucket Cranberry Pie on Food Press and was immediately inspired and thought how could I turn it to something we would all enjoy..Crumble it is!

Very excited to make my lunch for tomorrow..Going to use the Fresh Cranberry and Blackberry Preserve that I made on Sunday with 2 tbsp of goat cheese spread on top of a whole wheat wrap and topped with thinly sliced fat free turkey breast. 🙂 These are the leftovers I actually enjoy eating..I call them “Do-Over” because I have to use the previous ingredients to make something new..That’s just how I am! 🙂

You could even do a wrap post-Thanksgiving , using the cranberries, turkey and stuffing..and a little gravy too! Just wrap it all up and then heat them up in toaster oven at 400 for about 10 min 🙂

Dinner was a success! The Molasses and Brown Sugar Rub for the Pork loin cooked in 2 1/2 hours and it came out so very tender..the glazed outside was so tasty! So I’m saving the bone to use to make Kale and White Bean soup ( Ill post the recipe tomorrow) in the crock pot tomorrow 🙂

The Roasted Fingerling Potatoes were crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. I found some turkey bacon in the fridge and added it to the roasted potatoes as well. Added a very nice flavor. I really enjoyed the pancetta with the Pan Roasted Brussel Sprouts! And this time the par boil on the brussel sprouts ahead of time really made quite the difference; not only did it cut down on the cooking time, but it made them so tender and they seared nicely in the pan.

I love making fresh cranberries at the Holiday season..So good as a leftover too! Spread it on a wrap with turkey and goat cheese…:) Or pour over chicken breasts and cook in the oven. it really doesn’t take much work at all!

1 bag of fresh cranberries..cook as directed on bag…

1 jar of blackberry preserves

After the cranberries are done popping on the stove top and you have added in the sugar ( i substitute Splenda or Stevia) , add the jar of blackberry preserves and really incorporate into the cranberries…Turn heat off and cover. Let cool completley before putting in fridge to chill.

I’m thinking of adding in a tsp of cayenne pepper and 1/2 cup of red wine during the boiling process of the cranberries…:)

So excited to have a “mock” Thanksgiving dinner today with my parents. They are headed out of town to the mountains to enjoy the view and relax. So we have decided to gather today are share our blessings..But that also means I get to have two dinners this week..One very traditional on Thanksgiving Day and today’s is going to be my fun “gourmet” day. 🙂

Last nite I gave this beautiful 5 lb Pork Loin Roast a nice rub down and today will roast it for about 2 1/2 hours…Going to serve it with a freshCranberry and Blackberry preserve sauceon the side..( I might make it a bit spicy but I haven’t decided yet)

Placed roast in baking dish

So for the rub: 1/2 jar of molasses, 1 cup dark brown sugar, handful of whole cloves, sea salt, fresh grated nutmeg and cinnamon, 1 tsp cardamom..placed the cloves anywhere all over the roast, seasoned with salt…poured the molasses all over letting it drip down the sides too. The packed on the brown sugar, sprinkled with remaining seasonings on top. Covered with Press N Seal and then placed in fridge over nite ( over nite marination is always best, but if you do the day of..marinate for at least an hour.)